We welcomed more than 260 delegates to this year’s Lower Mainland RENT in Surrey with our partner, the Homelessness Services Association of BC. It was our largest RENT event to date and we are absolutely moved by the growth of our sector.
The day started off with a traditional welcome in song and prayer from Kevin and Michael Gabriel from the Kwantlen First Nation. The room was also welcomed by the Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley, who spoke on behalf of the region as Chair of Metro Vancouver’s Housing Committee, regarding the future growth of affordable rental units in our region. BCNPHA’s CEO Jill Atkey then provided delegates with an update from our organization, including a new update on the Rental Housing Index (coming soon), our Build Homes Not Barriers project (in partnership with HSABC), and shared new education opportunities from BCNPHA.
Delegates visited 20+ tradeshow booths, attended a variety of educations sessions and had the opportunity to hop on the housing tour to the Phoenix Recovery Society in Surrey. A major highlight from the event was our lunch plenary, which featured a powerful panel of women (shown above) who spoke about the importance of equality, reconciliation and the willingness to provide solutions within marginalized communities. It was a fulfilling day of quality education from incredible experts and thought leaders from across the region.
“It’s not a duty to accommodate, it’s a duty to include and share.” – Stephanie Allen, BC Housing
Thank you to all of our delegates, partners and sponsors for helping us make this year’s Lower Mainland RENT a great success! We are looking forward to greeting everyone in Prince George tomorrow at our Northern RENT!
The Lower Mainland RENT presentations are now available! All presentations below are in PDF format. If you presented in Surrey and would like your presentation to be uploaded, please contact justin@bcnpha.ca
For more information about our regional events, go to bcnpha.ca/rents